Method of lettering



Sept. 30, 1930. J. E. INNES ,77

' METHOD OF LETTERING I Filed April 27, 1928 DDEE FFGG number of characters, of a sli Patented Sept. 30, 1930 .,.UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 METHOD OF LETTERING Application filed April 27,

T his invention relates to the preparation of copy for printing by the photo-engraving or lithographic process, and pertains more particularly to the preformation, arrangement and display for photographic purposes of letters, figures or conventional signs of a tyle, arrangement or size unsuitable to be rcproi'luced in ordinary type.

The subject matter of the invention is especially designed and intended for use by advertisers, advertising agents, photo-em gravers, printers and the like, who desire to give particular emphasis, refinement or style to certain words or symbols of the copy they desire to employ in advertising or other display purposes. The principal object of the invention is to furnish a simple and easily prepared substitute for hand drawn display copy by providing a preformed assortment of letters, symbols and the like, printed or otherwise displayed upon individual paper strips which are adapted readily and quickly to be arranged in the desired style or line-up, with particular reference to correct horizontal or vertical spacing of the separate characters, upon a ruled background. Further objects reside in the particular construction and arrangement of the el'ementsreferred to, as hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims.

As illustrative of use of the invention, suggestive embodiments thereof are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a collection of one form of character, constituting a portion of the alphabet, each character being displayed upon a detachable strip of aper;

Fig. 2 illustrates one mo e of arranging a htly different form, upon a ruled backgroun and Fig. 3 shows a grou of individual strips lettered in the same sty e as the characters of Fig. 2.

The subject matter ofthe invention consists essentially in two parts: an assortment of characters, such as letters of the al habet, syn'iliols, punctuation marks, etc.,.eac separatcly printed or otherwise preformed upon individual paper strips 4; and a sheet 5 of still paper ruled horizontally and vertically v properly displayed, in an 1928. Serial No. 273,415.

in equal divisions, constituting? background upon which .the strips 4 may e arranged in the manner best adapted for easy reading and for correct value as regards spacing and evenness of line-up. When so arranged upon the background the assembly constitutes the finished copy which may be reproduced by photo-engraving or lithography.

The strips 4 are preferably gummed on the back and connected to an elongate binding sheet of paper 6 along a perforated or weakened line 7, so that the selected strip may readily be detached from the assembled assortment which may be arranged in superposed sheets within a book or hinder. The strips 4; are of convenient size and shape for the particular style of lettering which appears thereon; and each strip is preferably printed or ruled with equally spaced vertical and horizontal lines 8. The lines 8 may be arranged in agate em squares or equal divisions or multiples thereof, and preferably appear in appropriate colored ink such as light blue, which will not be reproduced in the subsequent photographic process.

The letters or other characters which are displayed upon the strips 4 may be reproduced and printed in black or colored ink from any desired kind or style of hand drawing. Each letter or character is so proportioned and arranged with relation to margins of the strip and the ruled squares that, when any two or more of the strips are properly positioned upon the ruled squares 9 of the background sheet 5, each letter will automatically. be in correct spaced relation for easy reading and tonal value.

In order that the letters may beclosely spaced, if desired, the characters should occupy the major portion of the strips 4, and the unoccupied portions of the strips may be cut away, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, so that the projecting portions of contiguous strips may overlap, thuseconomizin space without sa'gfigifice of correct spacing. Ty upthe top or bottom or swash may be obvious manner. The lines 9 on the sheet 5 may be similarly ruled in non-reproducing ink, and may be propri ately cutting away of the strips 4, a cerip ing by photographic processes which consists spaced in equal squares in the same arrangement as they appear on the strips 4:. The squares may be numbered vertically, as indicated in Fig. 2, and also horizontally in the same color, to insure correct placement of the strips 4 with respect to the margins of the sheet and to facilitate measurement in calculating reduction or enlargement of the assembly.

In arranging the letters or characters upon the ruled sheet 5, the artisan may be guided by the vertical and horizontal edges of the strips 4. or by the ruled lines which may appear thereon. In the case of simple characters and simple arrangements, the first method of sufiicient accurate, and in this instance the ruled lines 8 are unnecessary. For close spacin the vertical edges of adjacent strips may a at each other; it wider spacing is desired, one or more of the lines 9 or fractions thereof may intervene between the strips 4. The spacing may be in a vertical or a horizontal direction, or may include both directional components.

Although the process and devices described above are particularly adapted for use in preparing headlines or rominent elements of display advertising,t e utility of the invention is notlimited to this subject matter for it may be used in preparing any copy when ordinary type of proper size is not available or is not designed to furnish the boldness, refinement or style desired.

I claim: 1. A method of preparing copy for printin forming the characters to be photographed adhesively applied upon said background and beingarranged thereon with respect to each other according to said guide lines whereby the characters are correctly space from each other with the guide lines visible between the strips.

4. A sheet of copy adapted to, be printed by photographic processes, comprising a background sheet having spaced (parallel guide lines displayed vertically an horizontally thereon in non-photographing ink and a pluupon individual slips so that the outline 'of the characters occupy the major portion of the-respective slips, providing vertical and horizontal guide lines upon a background in non-photographing ink, and arranging said slips upon said background by spacing them from each other according to said guide lines so that the lines on the background are visible between the spaced strips. I

- 2. A method of preparing copy for printing by photographic processes which consists in providing spaced parallel guide lines vertically and horizontally upon a lurality of individual slips and upon a ackground sheet respectively in non-photographing ink,

. formingf the characters to be photographed -\upon*the respective slips and arranging the i 55' individual slips successively upon said sheet by spacing them from each other according to the respective guide lines so that the lines on the background are visible between the spaced strips.

3. In combinationewith a background having spaced parallel guide lines displayed vertically and horizontally thereon in nonphotographing ink, a plurality of individual .slips, each slip having a character to be photographed displayed thereon, said slips being 

